Purchase, NY (March 16, 2018) – Max Pearce had plenty of support in the Dark Horse Dunker online competition.

Votes came from the Purchase campus community, Panther athletics, first-time onlookers from around the country and even a young NBA superstar in Donovan Mitchell, the Association's Slam Dunk Champion for 2018.

Now, like Mitchell, Pearce (SR/Tuckahoe, NY) will get an opportunity to dazzle the nation on the biggest of stages. He won the online vote today at 1 p.m. His underdog victory puts him among the best dunkers in the country on March 29 in San Antonio, TX – Final Four weekend. The DIII hoopster made history, defeating DI's Tom Lacey of Navy in the championship (57 % to 43 %). This is a first for Purchase athletics.

The competition will be televised live on ESPN (8 p.m. CT, 9 p.m. ET). See the online results here.
 
The senior guard had the highest percentage of anyone in the first two rounds, narrowly won the semifinal and then ran away with the championship over the last two days of voting. He received plenty of pub from Mitchell, who was born and raised in nearby Elmsford and stars with the Utah Jazz; Duke's ACC player and rookie of the year in Marvin Bagley III; News 12 Westchester and sports anchor Pete Ruf; the Journal News and Mike Dougherty; the Skyline Conference and Assistant Commissioner Tom Emberley; and plenty of on campus support from the athletic department and administration, including VP for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dennis Craig, Marketing Manager Kaya Phillips and Media Relations Specialist Betsy Aldredge, among many others. Panther head coach Kyle Martin was also key in his social media efforts, as was Pearce's teammates. 

            *READ MORE ABOUT MAX IN THE LATEST ARTICLE FROM THE JOURNAL NEWS AND MIKE DOUGHERTY HERE!
            *WATCH THE LATEST NEWS 12 SPOT WITH PETE RUF HERE!

To boot, it didn't hurt that Peace has over 55,000 followers on Instagram, having gained notoriety for his creative dunks on social media the last few years.  
 
"I am beyond excited," Peace said. "Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I promise I will do Purchase proud."

Intersport, producers of the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, put together the "Dark Horse Dunker" contest. It is a digital media contest that matched up 16 of the top college dunkers in a bracket-style competition to determine the final participant in the Slam Dunk Championship. 

The 16 "Dark Horse Dunkers" that began the contest were selected by a committee representing the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships.

"Max has had a tremendous senior year, both on the court and in the classroom," said Purchase Athletic Director Chris Bisignano, noting Pearce's win in the college's first annual "Shark Tank" (read more about that here). "He is made for this competition. Max has a gift for dunking a basketball and he's a showman, and I think the online vote reflected that. People see his talent, and now he'll be rewarded by being among the best in San Antonio. We are so proud of him."

Now in its 30th year, the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships feature 24 of the best collegiate dunkers and sharpshooters showcasing their skills live on ESPN. They'll come together in San Antonio on the campus of St. Mary's University at Bill Greehey Arena during Final Four weekend to compete in a series of competitions.